Curle getting to know potential new signings over the phone and online due to COVID

Cobblers manager Keith Curle has not let the coronavirus pandemic stop him from getting to know potential new signings.

Curle has always preferred to meet his targets two or three times before signing them, however due to current COVID restrictions, he is having to speak to players over the line and online.

Speaking on the It's All Cobblers To Me podcast, Curle explained: "I was able to meet players face-to-face in the summer, albeit with social distancing, but at the moment we're having to do a lot of conversations over the telephone and that's just the situation currently.

"COVID has made it harder, scouting is not as easy as it was as access to games is reduced, as you can only go and watch games that include your next three opponents at first-team level.

"In terms of chatting to players, we have had meetings online and you can still get a good idea of the character of a player and you want to make sure they have the right mentality and the right drive to come into the football club.

"It's not a yes or no answer. It's about finding out more details and substance and how they see their career progressing and where they see themselves in a year or two years time. When players sign a contract, they have to buy into the football club and they have to be the right fit.

"Sometimes we click straight away, other times we meet and decide a certain player is not for us. COVID means we have to do things differently and think about things in a different way but it is still possible to do things right.

"We can’t buy our way out of this division, we will have to fight our way forward and battle our way though and we want a group that accepts that challenge. We will get negative results but it's about how we react to those negative results."